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At 36, Goran Dragic is still hungry for victories

For Goran Dragicthis action remains his “ nightmare “. One evening in January 2010, on the floor of the Suns, Derrick Rose went on the counterattack and decided to sign one of his finest career dunks: a powerful poster, with both hands, on the head of the Slovenian.

It’s funny because that’s the only time I’ve been dunked in my entire NBA career. It’s okay, I even talked to Derrick about it. We were together in Zagreb for an Adidas campaign and I went to tell him: ‘You had to do it like that?’ But you know, I was young. When was that, 2010, 2011? It was my second year in the league », Says the 36-year-old veteran today.

More than a decade after this youthful trauma, Goran Dragic is preparing to wear the same jersey as the 2011 MVP, that of the Bulls. The frail leader of his Suns debut, who became All-Star in 2018, has grown a lot since then. ” With Goran, it’s more about adding experience. A guy who is always hungry and chasing victory », describes in a few words the vice-president of the franchiseArturas Karnisovas, who had already tried to sign him last year.

Always passionate

It’s simple: every athlete, every basketball player wants to win a title, and it’s the same for me. I have already been close with Miami. Unfortunately, I got injured in the NBA Finals and I still can’t sleep because I want to go back. I still have this hunger and I feel good. I feel healthy. I am 36 years old. I’m not the youngest anymore, but I still have this passion and that’s the most important “, assures the point guard, the oldest and experienced player of the team in front of DeMar DeRozan.

The latter, after his good years with the Heat marked by this final in 2020 against the Lakers, lost his luster last season with short experiences with the Raptors, then with the Nets. Still able to show good things in the playoffs, he remains a valuable player. His recruitment is all the more important as Lonzo Ball still seems far from being operational.

To see if he can recover the starting place, to the detriment of Alex Caruso, Coby White or Ayo Dosunmu. ” This guy blew his knee in the final and came back three games after to try to play. So you don’t have to worry about harshness with him “, remarks the first of his cited competitors, who played for the Lakers in this 2020 final. Alex Caruso appreciates this signing, believing that it is a “ new weapon to add to our roster. I’m happy to be his teammate and not play against him. »

I have always been a fan of Goran. He’s an amazing guy, hungry for wins and will do whatever it takes on the pitch to make an impact on the group. Whether it was through his leadership or the way he played, whether with the ball or not, throughout his career he was proud to win and fight. “, ends their coach Billy Donovan.

Goran Dragic Percentage Bounces
Season Crew GM Minimum Shots 3 points LF Off Def Early pd party Int bp CT Points
2008-09 PHX 55 13 39.3 37.0 76.9 0.6 1.3 1.9 2.0 1.6 0.5 1.3 0.1 4.5
2009-10 PHX 80 18 45.2 39.4 73.6 0.5 1.7 2.1 3.0 1.6 0.6 1.6 0.1 7.9
2010-11* All Teams 70 18 43.5 36.1 62.4 0.5 1.5 2.0 2.9 1.8 0.7 1.7 0.1 7.5
2010-11* PHX 48 18 42.1 27.7 60.8 0.5 1.3 1.8 3.1 1.9 0.8 2.0 0.1 7.4
2010-11* HOO 22 17 47.2 51.9 66.7 0.6 2.0 2.6 2.5 1.6 0.6 1.0 0.2 7.7
2011-12 HOO 66 27 46.2 33.7 80.5 0.8 1.7 2.6 5.3 2.5 1.3 2.4 0.2 11.7
2012-13 PHX 77 34 44.3 31.9 74.8 0.8 2.3 3.1 7.4 2.8 1.6 2.8 0.3 14.7
2013-14 PHX 76 35 50.5 40.8 76.0 0.9 2.3 3.2 5.9 2.7 1.4 2.8 0.3 20.3
2014-15* All Teams 78 34 50.1 34.7 77.4 1.0 2.5 3.5 4.5 2.5 1.0 2.2 0.2 16.4
2014-15* PHX 52 33 50.1 35.5 74.6 1.0 2.6 3.6 4.1 2.3 1.0 2.2 0.2 16.2
2014-15* MIA 26 35 50.2 32.9 80.8 1.2 2.3 3.4 5.4 2.9 1.1 2.3 0.2 16.6
2015-16 MIA 72 33 47.7 31.2 72.7 0.8 3.1 3.9 5.8 2.6 1.0 2.6 0.2 14.1
2016-17 MIA 73 34 47.5 40.5 79.0 0.9 3.0 3.8 5.8 2.7 1.2 2.9 0.2 20.3
2017-18 MIA 75 32 45.0 37.0 80.1 0.7 3.4 4.1 4.8 2.4 0.8 2.2 0.2 17.3
2018-19 MIA 36 28 41.3 34.8 78.2 0.6 2.5 3.1 4.8 2.3 0.8 2.0 0.1 13.7
2019-20 MIA 59 28 44.1 36.7 77.6 0.5 2.7 3.2 5.1 2.1 0.7 2.4 0.2 16.2
2020-21 MIA 50 27 43.2 37.3 82.8 0.5 2.9 3.4 4.4 2.3 0.7 2.4 0.2 13.4
2021-22 * All Teams 21 24 37.7 25.4 81.8 0.6 2.5 3.1 4.1 2.1 0.9 1.6 0.2 7.5
2021-22 * BRK 16 26 37.6 24.5 73.9 0.7 2.5 3.2 4.8 2.3 0.9 2.1 0.2 7.3
2021-22 * TOR 5 18 38.2 28.6 100.0 0.4 2.4 2.8 1.8 1.6 1.0 0.2 0.2 8.0
Total 888 28 46.0 36.2 76.7 0.7 2.4 3.1 4.8 2.3 1.0 2.3 0.2 13.7

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